Elementary school (grades K-5) · Odessa, TX

Edward K Downing El

Federal NCES profile for Edward K Downing El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 481800013140
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
20
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Edward K Downing El earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.

#16 of 17
elementary schools in Odessa · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
19.9:1
large classes for Texas
82.7%
free-lunch eligible

Edward K Downing El has class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Edward K Downing El ranks #16 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX.

School address

Enrollment

834

Texas · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

42.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.9:1

vs 14.7:1 Texas avg

+35% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

82.7%

vs 61.9% Texas avg

+34% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Edward K Downing El compares with Texas and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Edward K Downing El

Edward K Downing El is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Odessa, Texas, enrolling 834 students.

Class loads run heavy: 19.9:1 is larger than about 92% of Texas schools and 35% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 82.7% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 834 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 1,661 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #1,557, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 11/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 834 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students) and Odessa H S (3,814 students) alongside Edward K Downing El.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Edward K Downing El compares

Edward K Downing El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Texas Texas avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.9:1 ▲ 35% 14.7:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 82.7% ▲ 34% 61.9% 51.7%
Enrollment 834 top 17% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.9:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
834
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
82.7%
free-lunch eligible - 34% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.9:1
students per teacher - 35% above state mean
Top 92% in Texas - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
42.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,033
per pupil, district-wide - below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 834 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 94.1%
White 4.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Two or More 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
African American 0.1%
Asian 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 11.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 11.2, Edward K Downing El is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ector County Isd, which includes Edward K Downing El.

$11,033
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.7%
State 35.4%
Federal 17.9%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Edward K Downing El Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Permian H S Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Odessa H S Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Nimitz Middle Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Ector College Prep Success Academy Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Edward K Downing El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Ector County Isd · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Edward K Downing El's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Edward K Downing El

How many students attend Edward K Downing El?

Edward K Downing El has 834 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Odessa, TX.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Edward K Downing El?

The student-teacher ratio at Edward K Downing El is 19.9:1, which is 35% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Edward K Downing El?

82.7% of students at Edward K Downing El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Edward K Downing El?

The largest demographic group at Edward K Downing El is Hispanic or Latino at 94.1% of enrollment, in Odessa, TX.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Edward K Downing El?

Edward K Downing El has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Edward K Downing El rank among elementary schools in Odessa?

By Resource Investment Index, Edward K Downing El ranks #16 of 17 elementary schools in Odessa, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Odessa on the city page.

Is Edward K Downing El a good school?

Edward K Downing El earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Ector County Isd?

Besides Edward K Downing El, Ector County Isd also operates Permian H S (4,138 students), Odessa H S (3,814 students), and Nimitz Middle (1,310 students). See the Ector County Isd district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.